ARCADIA >>City Council members will submit nominees and select someone to fill Councilman John Wuo’s vacant seat at its next meeting on Oct. 20, officials said Tuesday.

Mayor Gary Kovacic read Wuo’s letter of resignation, submitted Tuesday, in which he cited “personal and health reasons” as his motivation for stepping down.

“It is with great regret and sadness that I have to resign from my position as council member … it has been an experience that I am thankful for and will always treasure,” Wuo said in the letter.

Wuo, whose term sunsets in April, has served the council for the past 12 years, including three terms as mayor.

City Manager Dominic Lazzaretto recommended officials select someone with prior experience on the Planning Commission or City Council, while also considering an individual who does not intend to run for office in the spring election, as it would give them an unfair advantage.

Both Kovacic and Councilman Tom Beck recommended former mayor Mickey Segal for the job, who has publicly announced he does not intend to run for another term, but Councilmen Roger Chandler and Sho Tay wanted to take some time to think of a few additional nominees to throw in the pool before voting on the item.

The council then voted to continue the item to its next meeting.

A deadlock among the four councilmembers in choosing a replacement could result in a special election that would cost more than $100,000 and delay the filling of the vacant seat, Lazzaretto said.

Kovacic called Wuo’s move a “courageous act” before publicly thanking him for his years of service to the city.

He said he agreed with Wuo’s statement in his resignation letter that “there is still a rough road ahead (for the city), and difficult decisions will need to be made.”

Beck also expressed gratitude to Wuo for his time on the council.

Wuo’s resignation comes at a time of scrutiny for the longtime councilman, who is subject of an investigation by the Fair Political Practices Commission and was also named as a defendant in a class action lawsuit filed Monday.

The suit alleges Wuo used his position as a government official to help defraud investors out of about $32 million in a suspected pyramid scheme.

Wuo did not mention the controversy in his resignation letter nor did his former colleagues.

Courtney Tompkins is a freelancer. Courtney previously covered Long Beach City Hall for the Press-Telegram and local government and education for the Pasadena Star-News and San Gabriel Valley Tribune. She is a graduate of Cal State Long Beach, where she studied journalism and international relations.

Join the Conversation

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.

If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com.